‘A ‘PEOPLE-STRATEGY’ TO SPOT TALENT’
Anju Jain, country HR, caterpillar india
How do you spot and attract talent?
Our employees have always been the backbone of our company’s success. They provide the innovative and diverse thinking we need to serve our customers. That is why we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive and safe environment where everyone can thrive and be successful by leveraging each individual’s unique skills, abilities, experiences and cultural background.
We select, place, evaluate and reward employees based on their personal qualifications, skills for the job, demonstrated performance and the contributions they make to the company. In terms of spotting and attracting talent, we follow a well-defined ‘people strategy’ that is aligned with the business strategy and needs. There are attraction, development, and retention plans for skilled workforce under this strategy. Every decision related to people and organisational development is consistent with this strategy. Various sourcing modes and also tools and methods are used for attracting a diverse talent base. For example, the HR department employees are trained to use the tools/methodology to assess the technical skills and behaviours of the talent and cultural fit for current and future business needs. They use various tools that are specific to the company and also leverage social media, online portals, and university partnerships.
The best way to retain and nurture stars?
Our company offers a variety of formal and informal opportunities for individuals to increase skills and knowledge. Some of these opportunities include inperson training, e-learning and other tools so we can help sharpen the skills of our employees. Whether an individual is interested in improving skills for a current job, preparing for a future role, or having a long-range career plan in mind, we support the learning journey, recognising the importance of on-the-job-experiences, coaching and feedback, along with formal training and learning. For example, supervisors have constant interactions and one-on-one sessions with their teams to understand employee’s career aspirations. We encourage selfdevelopment and will assist employees in mastering their current jobs.
Leadership Excellence in Accountability and Development (LEAD) is our global leadership programme. It also offers a comprehensive leadership development experience focused on educating leaders to effectively develop and guide individuals and teams to achieve business results. Its objective is to ensure that leaders, at all levels, are ready to lead with our values in action and hold themselves and others accountable for results. For leaders with the potential to move to higher leadership levels within the organisation, LEAD has offered additional programmes.